Mrs M+S. A marketing mantra that didn't translate well in PR.

Oh dear, Steve Rowe. One lesson my mother taught me was that some things should never be said out loud.

Buying personas are fictional representations of your customers. Your buying and marketing teams will no doubt make great use of the careful research you've done. But your PR teams should have cautioned you against revealing the persona-groups to your customers.

In one teeny phrase, you've patronised your target customers and revealed what you think of them - married, old-before-their time, safe-dressers. Who need to be cherished ( what? ).

Maybe you ignored the advice of your PR team.

Perhaps it sounded better on paper. I doubt that.

Hopefully the 50-year-old women of the UK will forgive you.

And maybe one day you will put all your white t-shirts together so that Mrs Freeman doesn't have to trawl round an entire store looking for them all.

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Marks and Spencer boss Steve Rowe says he is determined to revive the High Street giant by getting back in touch with the core female customers he has labelled "Mrs M&S". But who exactly is he talking about?
According to Mr Rowe this apparently married woman wants "stylish contemporary clothing". He adds: "We need to cherish and celebrate her and make sure we're giving her exactly what she needs at the right time."
The company confirms that it sees the "loyal" - or perhaps of late, not so loyal - Mrs M&S as a woman in her 50s who shops with them around 18 times a year.